Isolation and characterization of 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol-degrading rhizobia

2,3-Dichloro-1-propanol is more chemically stable than its isomer, 1, 3-dichloro-2-propanol, and is therefore more difficult to degrade. The isolation of bacteria capable of complete mineralization of 2, 3-dichloro-1-propanol was successful only from enrichments at high pH. The bacteria thus isolated were found to be members of the alpha division of the Proteobacteria in the Rhizobium subdivision, most likely Agrobacterium sp. They could utilize both dihaloalcohol substrates and 2-chloropropionic acid. The growth of these strains in the presence of 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol was strongly affected by the pH and buffer strength of the medium. Under certain conditions, a ladder of four active dehalogenase bands could be visualized from this strain in activity gels. The enzyme involved in the complete mineralization of 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol was shown to have a native molecular weight of 114,000 and consisted of four subunits of similar molecular weights.     

Opioid Peptides from Human β-Casein

A bacterium that assimilates 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol was isolated from soil by enrichment culture. The strain was identified as Pseudomonas sp. by the taxonomic studies. The strain converted 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol to 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol, releasing chloride ion. The conversion was stereospecific because the residual 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol and formed 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol gave optical rotation. The resting cells converted various halohydrins to the dehalogenated alcohols, and cell-free extracts had strong epoxyhydrolase activity. These results indicated that the strain assimilated 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol via 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol, glycidol, and glycerol. The possibility to manufacture optically active 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol is discussed.     

Preparation of (S)-2,3-dichloro-1-propanol byPseudomonas sp. and its use in the synthesis of (R)-epichlorohydrin

Summary Pseudomonas sp. OS-K-29 assimilated (R)-2,3-dichloro-1-propanol preferentially as the sole source of carbon. Isolation of optically pure (S)-2,3-dichloro-1-propanol with 100% enantiomer excess (e.e.) from the racemate was done based on this bacterial assimilation using immobilized-cells of OS-K-29 with calcium-alginate. The overall examination of the reactor involved 19 batches for 50 days without loss of its activity. Highly pure (R)-epichlorohydrin with 99.5% e.e. was prepared from the (S)-2,3-dichloro-1-propanol with treatment of aqueous NaOH. This new method is simple and useful for manufacturing optically active (S)-2,3-dichloro-1-propanol and (R)-epichlorohydrin.     

Purification and characterization of haloalcohol dehalogenase from Arthrobacter sp. strain AD2.

An enzyme capable of dehalogenating vicinal haloalcohols to their corresponding epoxides was purified from the 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol-utilizing bacterium Arthrobacter sp. strain AD2. The inducible haloalcohol dehalogenase converted 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol, 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol, 1-chloro-2-propanol, and their brominated analogs, 2-bromoethanol, as well as chloroacetone and 1,3-dichloroacetone. The enzyme possessed no activity for epichlorohydrin (3-chloro-1,2-epoxypropane) or 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol. The dehalogenase had a broad pH optimum at about 8.5 and a temperature optimum of 50 degrees C. The enzyme followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and the Km values for 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol and 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol were 8.5 and 48 mM, respectively. Chloroacetic acid was a competitive inhibitor, with a Ki of 0.50 mM. A subunit molecular mass of 29 kDa was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. With gel filtration, a molecular mass of 69 kDa was found, indicating that the native protein is a dimer. The amino acid composition and N-terminal amino acid sequence are given.     

Biodegradation of 1,2,3-Trichloropropane through Directed Evolution and Heterologous Expression of a Haloalkane Dehalogenase Gene

Using a combined strategy of random mutagenesis of haloalkane dehalogenase and genetic engineering of a chloropropanol-utilizing bacterium, we constructed an organism that is capable of growth on 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP). This highly toxic and recalcitrant compound is a waste product generated from the manufacture of the industrial chemical epichlorohydrin. Attempts to select and enrich bacterial cultures that can degrade TCP from environmental samples have repeatedly been unsuccessful, prohibiting the development of a biological process for groundwater treatment. The critical step in the aerobic degradation of TCP is the initial dehalogenation to 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol. We used random mutagenesis and screening on eosin-methylene blue agar plates to improve the activity on TCP of the haloalkane dehalogenase from Rhodococcus sp. m15-3 (DhaA). A second-generation mutant containing two amino acid substitutions, Cys176Tyr and Tyr273Phe, was nearly eight times more efficient in dehalogenating TCP than wild-type dehalogenase. Molecular modeling of the mutant dehalogenase indicated that the Cys176Tyr mutation has a global effect on the active-site structure, allowing a more productive binding of TCP within the active site, which was further fine tuned by Tyr273Phe. The evolved haloalkane dehalogenase was expressed under control of a constitutive promoter in the 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol-utilizing bacterium Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1, and the resulting strain was able to utilize TCP as the sole carbon and energy source. These results demonstrated that directed evolution of a key catabolic enzyme and its subsequent recruitment by a suitable host organism can be used for the construction of bacteria for the degradation of a toxic and environmentally recalcitrant chemical.     

Purification and Characterization of a Novel Alcohol Dehydrogenase from Leifsonia sp. Strain S749: a Promising Biocatalyst for an Asymmetric Hydrogen Transfer Bioreduction

To find microorganisms that could reduce phenyl trifluoromethyl ketone (PTK) to (S)-1-phenyltrifluoroethanol [(S)-PTE], styrene-assimilating bacteria (ca. 900 strains) isolated from soil samples were screened. We found that Leifsonia sp. strain S749 was the most suitable strain for the conversion of PTK to (S)-PTE in the presence of 2-propanol as a hydrogen donor. The enzyme corresponding to the reaction was purified homogeneity, characterized and designated Leifsonia alcohol dehydrogenase (LSADH). The purified enzyme had a molecular weight of 110,000 and was composed of four identical subunits (molecular weight, 26,000). LSADH required NADH as a cofactor, showed little activity with NADPH, and reduced a wide variety of aldehydes and ketones. LSADH catalyzed the enantioselective reduction of some ketones with high enantiomeric excesses (e.e.): PTK to (S)-PTE (>99% e.e.), acetophenone to (R)-1-phenylethanol (99% e.e.), and 2-heptanone to (R)-2-heptanol (>99% e.e.) in the presence of 2-propanol without an additional NADH regeneration system. Therefore, it would be a useful biocatalyst.     

Biodegradation of Aromatic Hydrocarbons in an Extremely Acidic Environment

The potential for biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons was evaluated in soil samples recovered along gradients of both contaminant levels and pH values existing downstream of a long-term coal pile storage basin. pH values for areas greatly impacted by runoff from the storage basin were 2.0. Even at such a reduced pH, the indigenous microbial community was metabolically active, showing the ability to oxidize more than 40% of the parent hydrocarbons, naphthalene and toluene, to carbon dioxide and water. Treatment of the soil samples with cycloheximide inhibited mineralization of the aromatic substrates. DNA hybridization analysis indicated that whole-community nucleic acids recovered from these samples did not hybridize with genes, such as nahA, nahG, nahH, todC1C2, and tomA, that encode common enzymes from neutrophilic bacteria. Since these data suggested that the degradation of aromatic compounds may involve a microbial consortium instead of individual acidophilic bacteria, experiments using microorganisms isolated from these samples were initiated. While no defined mixed cultures were able to evolve ¹⁴CO₂ from labeled substrates in these mineralization experiments, an undefined mixed culture including a fungus, a yeast, and several bacteria successfully metabolized approximately 27% of supplied naphthalene after 1 week. This study shows that biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons can occur in environments with extremely low pH values.     

Secondary alcohols as hydrogen donors for CO2-reduction by methanogens

Out of 22 methanogens Methanobacterium formicicum, Methanobacterium bryantii M.o.H., Methanogenium marisnigri, Methanomicrobium paynteri, Methanocorpusculum parvum and the new coccoid methanogenic isolates GKZPZ and SZSXXZ were found to grow at the expense of 2-propanol and 2-butanol + CO₂. 2-Propanol was oxidized to acetone and 2-butanol was converted to 2-butanone during CO₂-reduction to methane. Growth was poor compared to that on H₂/CO₂, and in the presence of both, 2-propanol and H₂, molecular hydrogen was the preferred reductant. Acetone, formed during oxidation of 2-propanol in the absence of hydrogen, was reduced again to 2-propanol, when the culture was supplied with H₂/CO₂. Ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-pentanol and cyclohexanol could not serve as hydrogen donors for methanogenesis.     

Production of (R)-epichlorohydrin from 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol by two-step biocatalysis using haloalcohol dehalogenase and epoxide hydrolase in two-phase system

Recombinant Escherichia coli cells harbouring haloalcohol dehalogenase and epoxide hydrolase were successfully immobilized by adsorption onto perlite and used to prepare (R)-epichlorohydrin from 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol by two-step biocatalysis in a specially designed reactor. Two-phase solution was used as the reaction system in order to improve the yield of epichlorohydrin. In the two-phase system containing 40% (v/v) cyclohexane, the yield of racemic epichlorohydrin formed in the first step was 73%, and the yield of (R)-epichlorohydrin with enantiomeric excess (ee) ≥99% increased from 19.2% to 25.1% in the second step. Ultimately, the yield of (R)-epichlorohydrin reached 26.4% by optimization of the flow rate of air and amount of immobilized cells. To our knowledge, this was the first report on production of (R)-epichlorohydrin from 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol by two-step biocatalysis using haloalcohol dehalogenase and epoxide hydrolase.     

Microbial Oxidation of Gaseous Hydrocarbons: Production of Secondary Alcohols from Corresponding n-Alkanes by Methane-Utilizing Bacteria

Over 20 new strains of methane-utilizing bacteria were isolated from lake water and soil samples. Cell suspensions of these and of other known strains of methane-utilizing bacteria oxidized n-alkanes (propane, butane, pentane, hexane) to their corresponding secondary alcohols (2-propanol, 2-butanol, 2-pentanol, 2-hexanol). The product secondary alcohols accumulated extracellularly. The rate of production of secondary alcohols varied with the organism used for oxidation. The average rate of 2-propanol, 2-butanol, 2-pentanol, and 2-hexanol production was 1.5, 1.0, 0.15, and 0.08 μmol/h per 5.0 mg of protein in cell suspensions, respectively. Secondary alcohols were slowly oxidized further to the corresponding methylketones. Primary alcohols and aldehydes were also detected in low amounts (rate of production were 0.05 to 0.08 μmol/h per 5.0 mg of protein in cell suspensions) as products of n-alkane (propane and butane) oxidation. However, primary alcohols and aldehydes were rapidly metabolized further by cell suspensions. Methanol-grown cells of methane-utilizing bacteria did not oxidize n-alkanes to their corresponding secondary alcohols, indicating that the enzymatic system required for oxidation of n-alkanes was induced only during growth on methane. The optimal conditions for in vivo secondary alcohol formation from n-alkanes were investigated in Methylosinus sp. (CRL-15). The rate of 2-propanol and 2-butanol production was linear for the 40-min incubation period and increased directly with cell protein concentration up to 12 mg/ml. The optimal temperature and pH for the production of 2-propanol and 2-butanol were 40°C and pH 7.0. Metalchelating agents inhibited the production of secondary alcohols. The activities for the hydroxylation of n-alkanes in various methylotrophic bacteria were localized in the cell-free particulate fractions precipitated by centrifugation between 10,000 and 40,000 × g. Both oxygen and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide were required for hydroxylation activity. The metal-chelating agents inhibited hydroxylation of n-alkanes by the particulate fraction, indicating the involvement of a metal-containing enzyme system in the oxidation of n-alkanes. The production of 2-propanol from the corresponding n-alkane by the particulate fraction was inhibited in the presence of methane, suggesting that the subterminal hydroxylation of n-alkanes may be catalyzed by methane monooxygenase.     

Anaerobic 2-Propanol Degradation in Anoxic Paddy Soil and the Possible Role of Methanogens in Its Degradation

The anaerobic degradation of 2-propanol in anoxic paddy soil was studied with soil cultures and a 2-propanol-utilizing methanogen. Acetone was the first and the major intermediate involved in the methanogenic degradation of 2-propanol. Analyses with a methanogenesis inhibitor, bacteria antibiotics, and the addition of H₂ to the gas phase revealed that 2-propanol oxidation to acetone directly occurred using 2-propanol-utilizing methanogens, but not with H₂-producing syntrophic bacteria, for which the removal of acetone is required for complete 2-propanol oxidation. The 2-propanol-utilizing strain IIE1, which is phylogenetically closely related to Methanoculleus palmolei, was isolated from paddy soil, and the potential role of the strain in 2-propanol degradation was investigated. 2-Propanol is one of the representative fermentation intermediates in anaerobic environments. This is the first report on the anaerobic 2-propanol degradation process.     

Properties of 2,3-Butanediol Dehydrogenases from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis in Relation to Citrate Fermentation

Two 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenases (enzymes 1 and 2; molecular weight of each, 170,000) have been partially purified from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis (Streptococcus diacetylactis) D10 and shown to have reductase activity with either diacetyl or acetoin as the substrate. However, the reductase activity with 10 mM diacetyl was far greater for both enzymes (7.0- and 4.7-fold for enzymes 1 and 2, respectively) than with 10 mM acetoin as the substrate. In contrast, when acetoin and diacetyl were present together, acetoin was the preferred substrate for both enzymes, with enzyme 1 showing the more marked preference for acetoin. meso-2,3-Butanediol was the only isomeric product, with enzyme 1 independent of the substrate combinations. For enzyme 2, both the meso and optical isomers of 2,3-butanediol were formed with acetoin as the substrate, but only the optical isomers were produced with diacetyl as the substrate. With batch cultures of strain D10 at or near the point of citrate exhaustion, the main isomers of 2,3-butanediol present were the optical forms. If the pH was sufficiently high (>pH 5), acetoin reduction occurred over time and was followed by diacetyl reduction, and meso-2,3-butanediol became the predominant isomer. Interconversion of the optical isomers into the meso isomer did occur. The properties of 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenases are consistent with diacetyl and acetoin removal and the appearance of the isomers of 2,3-butanediol.     

Kinetics of Bacterial Growth on Chlorinated Aliphatic Compounds

With the pure bacterial cultures Ancylobacter aquaticus AD20 and AD25, Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10, and Pseudomonas sp. strain AD1, Monod kinetics was observed during growth in chemostat cultures on 1,2-dichloroethane (AD20, AD25, and GJ10), 2-chloroethanol (AD20 and GJ10), and 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (AD1). Both the Michaelis-Menten constants (K_m) of the first catabolic (dehalogenating) enzyme and the Monod half-saturation constants (K_s) followed the order 2-chloroethanol, 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol, epichlorohydrin, and 1,2-dichloroethane. The K_s values of strains GJ10, AD20, and AD25 for 1,2-dichloroethane were 260, 222, and 24 μM, respectively. The low K_s value of strain AD25 was correlated with a higher haloalkane dehalogenase content of this bacterium. The growth rates of strains AD20 and GJ10 in continuous cultures on 1,2-dichloroethane were higher than the rates predicted from the kinetics of the haloalkane dehalogenase and the concentration of the enzyme in the cells. The results indicate that the efficiency of chlorinated compound removal is indeed influenced by the kinetic properties and cellular content of the first catabolic enzyme. The cell envelope did not seem to act as a barrier for permeation of 1,2-dichloroethane.     

Complementary microbial approaches for the preparation of optically pure aromatic molecules

Different strategies for stereoselective microbial preparation of various chiral aromatic compounds are described. Optically pure 2-methyl-3-phenyl-1-propanol, ethyl 2-methyl-3-phenylpropanoate, 2-methyl-3-phenylpropanal, 2-methyl-3-phenylpropionic acid and 2-methyl-3-phenylpropyl acetate have been prepared using different microbial biotransformations starting from different prochiral and/or racemic substrates. (S)-2-Methyl-3-phenyl-1-propanol and (S)-2-methyl-3-phenylpropanal were prepared by biotransformation of 2-methyl cinnamaldehyde using the recombinant strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4741ΔOye2Ks carrying a heterologous OYE gene from Kazachstania spencerorum. (R)-2-Methyl-3-phenylpropionic acid was obtained by oxidation of racemic 2-methyl-3-phenyl-1-propanol with acetic acid bacteria. Kinetic resolution of racemic 2-methyl-3-phenylpropionic acid was carried out by direct esterification with ethanol using dry mycelia of Rhizopus oryzae CBS 112.07 in organic solvent, giving (R)-ethyl 2-methyl-3-phenylpropanoate as major enantiomer. Finally, (R,S)-2-methyl-3-phenylpropyl acetate was enantioselectively hydrolysed employing different bacteria and yeasts having cell-bound carboxylesterases with prevalent formation of (R)- or (S)-2-methyl-3-phenyl-1-propanol, depending on the strain employed.     

Production of (R)-3-Chloro-1,2-Propanediol from Prochiral 1,3-Dichloro-2-Propanol by Corynebacterium sp. Strain N-1074

The production of (R)-3-chloro-1,2-propanediol [(R)-MCP] from prochiral 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (DCP) was examined with a bacterial strain identified as a Corynebacterium strain. The addition of glycerol as a carbon source or some chlorinated alcohols to a medium was effective for the induction of activity catalyzing the transformation of DCP into MCP. The optimum pH for (R)-MCP production by the resting cell reaction was around 8.0. The optical purity of (R)-MCP formed was improved by keeping the level of DCP in the reaction mixture at a low concentration. (R)-MCP was obtained from 77.5 mM DCP with a 97.3% molar conversion yield and an 83.8% enantiomeric excess of its optical purity by periodic feeding of the substrate.     

Survival and Resuscitation of Ten Strains of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli under Acid Conditions

The culturability of 10 strains of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli was studied after the bacteria were exposed to acid conditions for various periods of time. Campylobacter cells could not survive 2 h under acid conditions (formic acid at pH 4). The 10 Campylobacter strains could not be recovered, even when enrichment media were used. Viable cells, however, could be detected by a double-staining (5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride [CTC]-4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole [DAPI]) technique, demonstrating that the treated bacteria changed into a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) form; the number of VBNC forms decreased over time. Moreover, some VBNC forms of Campylobacter could be successfully resuscitated in specific-free-pathogen fertilized eggs via two routes, amniotic and yolk sac injecting.     

Expression,characterization, and improvement of a newly cloned halohydrin dehalogenase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens and its application in production of epichlorohydrin

A gene encoding halohydrin dehalogenase (HHDH) from Agrobacterium tumefaciens CCTCC M 87071 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. To increase activity and stability of HHDH, 14 amino acid residues around the active site and substrate-binding pocket based on the structural analysis and molecular docking were selected as targets for site-directed mutagenesis. The studies showed that the mutant HHDH (Mut-HHDH) enzyme had a more accessible substrate-binding pocket than the wild-type HHDH (Wt-HHDH). Molecular docking revealed that the distance between the substrate and active site was closer in mutant which improved the catalytic activity. The expressed Wt-HHDH and Mut-HHDH were purified and characterized using 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) as substrates. The specific activity of the mutant was enhanced 26-fold and the value of k _cat was 18.4-fold as compared to the Wt-HHDH, respectively. The Mut-HHDH showed threefold extension of half-life at 45 °C than that of Wt-HHDH. Therefore it is possible to add 1,3-DCP concentration up to 100 mM and epichlorohydrin (ECH) was produced at a relatively high conversion and yield (59.6 %) using Mut-HHDH as catalyst. This Mut-HHDH could be a potential candidate for the upscale production of ECH.     

A new procedure for synthesis of 3-keto derivatives of sphingolipids and its application for study of fatty acid composition of brain ceramides and cerebrosides containing dihydrosphingosine of sphingosine

3-Keto derivatives were prepared in good yield by the oxidative procedure with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone from N-acetyl sphingosine, N-palmitoyl sphingosine, N-lignoceroyl sphingosine, and N-lignoceroyl psychosine. None of these 3-keto derivatives, except the one from N-acetyl sphingosine, have been previously reported. Ceramides were isolated from a calf brain and reacted with 2,3-dichloro-5, 6-dicyanobenzoquinone. Ceramides containing sphingosine (4-sphingenine) were converted to 3-keto derivative, while those containing dihydrosphingosine (sphinganine) remained intact under these conditions. The 3-keto ceramides were then separated from the ceramides containing dihydrosphingosine by preparative thin layer chromatography. Similarly cerebrosides from the same calf brain were oxidized and fractionated to 3-ketocerebrosides (from cerebrosides containing sphingosine) and unreacted cerebrosides (cerebrosides containing dihydrosphingosine). The fatty acid composition of these four sphingolipids were determined. Both the ceramides and the cerebrosides containing sphingosine had more unsaturated fatty acids than the corresponding dihydrosphingosine-containing compounds. The ratio of C₁₆-C₂₀ fatty acids to C₂₂-C₂₆ acids was higher in the ceramides containing sphingosine than in ceramides containing dihydrosphingosine, while the ratio was reversed in cerebrosides. The possible precursor-product relationship among these lipids is discussed.     

A new alcohol dehydrogenase with unique stereospecificity from Pseudomonas sp.

A new nicotinamide cofactor-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas strain SBD6 (PADH) was isolated and purified 150-fold to homogeneity using a combination of salt precipitation, anion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, and dye matrix chromatography. Approximately 10 mg of pure enzyme can be obtained from 10 g of wet cells. The enzyme has four subunits with a total molecular weight of 162,000. Incubation with the metal chelators 1,10-phenanthroline, 2-aminoethanethiol, hydroxyquinolinesulfonic acid, N-ethylmaleimide, and potassium cyanide result in complete loss of activity. The enzyme is very stable (t_1/2 7 days at pH 7 and 25°C in the absence of 2-propanol and 18 days in the presence of 10% 2-propanol, v/v) and possesses a broad substrate specificity with transfer of the pro-(R) hydride from NADH to the si face of carbonyl substrates to give (R)-alcohols in high enantiomeric excess, a stereochemical process different from that of other known alcohol dehydrogenases. Synthetic scale reductions are facilitated with 2-propanol as a hydride source for the regeneration of NADH. The kinetic mechanism is ordered bi-bi with the cofactor binding first. Based on NAD and 2-propanol, the kinetic parameters of the enzyme were determined to be V_max = 29.9 Units mg⁻¹ at 25°C and pH 8.5, K_m^NAD = 0.36 m and K_m^2-propanol = 0.19 m .     

Production of Methyl Ketones from Secondary Alcohols by Cell Suspensions of C2 to C4n-Alkane-Grown Bacteria

Nineteen new C₂ to C₄n-alkane-grown cultures were isolated from lake water from Warinanco Park, Linden, N.J., and from lake and soil samples from Bayway Refinery, Linden, N.J. Fifteen known liquid alkane-utilizing cultures were also found to be able to grow on C₂ to C₄n-alkanes. Cell suspensions of these C₂ to C₄n-alkane-grown bacteria oxidized 2-alcohols (2-propanol, 2-butanol, 2-pentanol, and 2-hexanol) to their corresponding methyl ketones. The product methyl ketones accumulated extracellularly. Cells grown on 1-propanol or 2-propanol oxidized both primary and secondary alcohols. In addition, the activity for production of methyl ketones from secondary alcohols was found in cells grown on either alkanes, alcohols, or alkylamines, indicating that the enzyme(s) responsible for this reaction is constitutive. The optimum conditions for in vivo methyl ketone formation from secondary alcohols were compared among selected strains: Brevibacterium sp. strain CRL56, Nocardia paraffinica ATCC 21198, and Pseudomonas fluorescens NRRL B-1244. The rates for the oxidation of secondary alcohols were linear for the first 3 h of incubation. Among secondary alcohols, 2-propanol and 2-butanol were oxidized at the highest rate. A pH around 8.0 to 9.0 was found to be the optimum for acetone or 2-butanone formation from 2-alcohols. The temperature optimum for the production of acetone or 2-butanone from 2-propanol or 2-butanol was rather high at 60°C, indicating that the enzyme involved in the reaction is relatively thermally stable. Metal-chelating agents inhibit the production of methyl ketones, suggesting the involvement of a metal(s) in the oxidation of secondary alcohols. Secondary alcohol dehydrogenase activity was found in the cell-free soluble fraction; this activity requires a cofactor, specifically NAD. Propane monooxygenase activity was also found in the cell-free soluble fraction. It is a nonspecific enzyme catalyzing both terminal and subterminal oxidation of n-alkanes.